The following is a

timeline A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale represen ...

of the

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

of the

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

Cotonou Cotonou (; fon, Kútɔ̀nú) is a city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area. The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The ci ...

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

Prior to 20th century

* 1830 - Cotonou founded as a "slaving port." * 1878 - Cotonou "ceded to France." * 1883 - French occupation. * 1899 - Wharf built.

20th century

* 1904 - Cotonou becomes part of colonial

French Dahomey French Dahomey was a French colony and part of French West Africa from 1894 to 1958. After World War II, by the establishment of the French Fourth Republic in 1947, Dahomey became part of the French Union with an increased autonomy. On 4 October ...

. * 1908 - Deepwater harbor opens. * 1912 - Cotonou becomes a "commune mixte." * 1920s - Population: 8,500. * 1928 - Ancien Pont (bridge) built. * 1955 - Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cotonou established. * 1957 - January: Pan-African General Union of Negro African Workers founded at a conference in Cotonou. * 1960s - Tomety photo studio in operation. * 1963 **

Dantokpa Market The Dantokpa Market, or simply Tokpa ( fon, Dantɔkpa), is the largest open-air market in West Africa, located in Cotonou, Benin.It is one of the most important retailing areas in Benin, covering over 20 hectares. It is also economically importa ...

established. ** Presidential Palace built. * 1964 ** ''L'action populaire''

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, spor ...

begins publication. ** Nigerian Yoruba Community-Cotonou organization formed. * 1965 - Port constructed. * 1967 - Les Muses theatre troupe formed. * 1968 -

Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou (sometimes prefaced with T.P. or Tout Puissant, French for "All Powerful") is a band from Cotonou, Benin, originally active from the 1960s to the 1980s and founded by singer-guitarist Mélomé Clément. They refor ...

(musical group) and Société Béninoise de Textiles established in Cotonou. * 1970 - Université du Dahomey founded. * 1975 - City becomes part of the

People's Republic of Benin The People's Republic of Benin (french: République populaire du Bénin; sometimes translated as Benin Popular Republic or Popular Republic of Benin) was a socialist state located in the Gulf of Guinea on the African continent, which would becom ...

. * 1980 - Association des écrivains et critiques littéraires du Bénin founded. * 1981 - Population: 383,250 (estimate). * 1982 -

Stade de l'Amitié Stade de l'Amitie or Friendship Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Cotonou, Benin. It is currently used for football matches and also has facilities for athletics.Organisation internationale de la Francophonie The (OIF; sometimes shortened to the Francophonie, french: La Francophonie , but also called International Organisation of in English-language context) is an international organization representing countries and regions where French is a ...

held in city. * 1996 -

University of Science and Technology of Benin The University of Science and Technology of Benin (french: Université des Sciences et Technologies du Bénin (USTB)) is a private university in Benin, whose headquarters are located in the district of Kpondéhou in Cotonou, the economic capital ...

established.

21st century

* 2001 - ''L'Informateur''

begins publication. * 2002 - Maison des Médias du Bénin founded. * 2003 ** 25 December:

Airplane crash An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the ''intention of fl ...

. ** Nicéphore Soglo becomes mayor. * 2005 - (museum) opens. * 2009 - Population: 815,041. * 2011 - Population: 924,000. * 2013 - Population: 679,012.

References

:''This article incorporates information from the

French Wikipedia The French Wikipedia (french: Wikipédia en français) is the French-language edition of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. This edition was started on 23 March 2001, two months after the official creation of Wikipedia. It has articl ...

and

German Wikipedia The German Wikipedia (german: Deutschsprachige Wikipedia) is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia. Founded on March 16, 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia (after the English Wikipedi ...

''.

Bibliography

in English

* * * * * *

in French

* * * *

External links

* (Bibliography of

open access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which research outputs are distributed online, free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 definition), or libre op ...

articles) * (Images, etc.) * (Images, etc.) * (Bibliography) * (Bibliography) * (Bibliography) {{Timelines of cities in Africa *

Years in Benin